Shoe-stretcher.



G. W. E. HOHME.

SHOE STRETCHER.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 20.1917.

1,253,973. Patented Jan. 15, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

I r f ATToRN EY G. W. E. HOHME.

SHOE STRETCHER.

APPLICATION FILED :uuszo. 19w.

. 1,253,973. Patented Jan. 15, 1918.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

GUSTAV w. HOHME, or cnsron, ALBERTA, CANADA.

SHOE-STRETCHER.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GUSTAV W. E. Holman, a subject of the King of Great Britain, residing at Castor, in the Province of Alberta and Dominion of Canada, have invented new and useful Improvements in Shoe-Stretchers, of which the following is a specification. I

My invention relates to'shoe stretchers and has for its objects; first, to provide a shoe stretcher which not only stretches the last of the shoe laterally, but will stretch the last longitudinally also; second, to provide a shoe stretcher whichwill stretch the last longitudinally, and which may be easily placed in a shoe; and thirdly, to provlde a shoe stretcher which is easily and quickly adjustable in all directions.

lVith these and other objects in view which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims, the lIWBIltlOIl consists in the novel construction and arrangement of parts illustrated in the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, in which Figure 1 is a side elevation of a shoe stretcher embodying my invention, a shoe being shown in dotted lines,

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same,

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section on the line aa of Fig. 1,

Fig. 4 is a vertical section through the center of the stretcher.

Like characters of reference indicate like parts in the various views.

In the drawings 1 designates the rear section of the stretcher, which together with a longitudinally adjustable heel 2 comprise the shoe heel engaging portion of the stretcher. The front section of the stretcher comprises two longitudinal last members 3 having the inner sides l thereof abutting, and having corresponding cavities 5 formed on said abutting inner sides 4. A hinge plate 6 is secured upon the front surface of the rear section, by means of screws 7 and has vertical extending hinge bearings 8 formed on either side thereof. Hinge ears 9 are secured to the rear ends of respective last members 3 and have vertical hinge bearings 10 formed at their outer sides and adapted to register with respective hinge bearings 8. Pivotal pins 11 are engaged by respective hinge bearings 8 and 9 whereby the last members are hingedly connected to the rear section for lateral Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 20, 1917.

Patented Jan. 15, 1918.

Serial N 0. 175,889.

swinging movement. Forwardly extending projections 12 are formed on the side edges of the hinges 9 and are secured uponrespective sides of the last members 3 by means of screws 18, screws 13 also securing the-main portion of the hinges to the rear surface of the last members. By means of the construction of the hinge plate 6 and the hinges 9 the last member 6 have a substantial hinge connection with the rear surface which is well adapted to, stand the hard usage to which a device of this character is subject. A threaded nut 14 is mounted upon the rear side of thehinge plate 6 and an actuating screw 15 passes through a hole' 16 in the rear section, and is screw threaded into said nut 14 and projects into the cavities 5, a handle 17 being provided at the rear end of said screw for convenient manual manipulation thereof. The front end of actuating screw 15 is ball shaped, as designated at 19, and a wedge 20 has its rear end provided with a cavity 21, which embraces said ball shaped end 19 and forms a ball and socket connection therewith. The wedge 20 tapers toward a point at its front end and terminates in a longitudinally extending tip 22. Laterally disposed rearward'ly facing shoulders 23 are formed at the rear end of the wedge for purposes hereinafter described.

Each cavity of the last members 3 is provided with a fiat spring 24: which has its rear ends secured to the respective last member by means of a screw 25. Each spring slants inwardly toward the front end of the last member and has the front thereof bent laterally, as designated at 26, and abutting the adjacent wall of the cavity. The middle portions of the springs, which are slanted inwardly toward the front end, form cam surfaces 27 which are engaged by the tapered portion of the wedge 20 to extend the last members. A wedge 28 is disposed in back of each spring and may be adjusted in various positions relative thereto by means of a vertical longitudinally extending slot 29 formed in each last and extending upwardly from the cavity therein to the surface of the last, and a headed screw 30 which projects down through each slot and is screw threaded into its respective wedge 28. The surface of each last is countersunk about the slot 29, so that the head of the screws 30 do not project above the surface of their respective last, as designated at 31.

Corresponding channels 32 are formed at which is adapted to be clamped in said chan-.

nels when said lasts are in their retracted position. The rear end of the shank 34 has a bottomed hole 35 formed therein-adapted to snugly receive the end of the tip 22 of the wedge.

.the' heel 36 in any position 'A heel 36 is provided which has a forwardly extending rack bar 37 mounted thereon. lhe rack bar 37 is mounted for sliding movement within a slide 38 formed in the rear section 1. A vertical shaft'39 is mounted for rotation in said rear section .40 and has a pinionmounted thereon within a recess 41 of said rear section, which engages the rack bar 37. The shaft 39 extends upwardly and terminates in a handle 42, and a ratchet wheel 43 is mounted there-- on adjacent the upper surface of the rear section. A pawl 44 ispivotally mounted upon said rear section and is adapted to engage the teeth of the ratchet wheel 43, said pawl and ratchet wheel serving to secure against inward movement thereof. 1 7

Transverse shoulders45 are formed in re spective cavities 5 at the rear end thereof and are engagcable with respective shoulders 23 of the wedge when the actuating screw 15 is rotated to retract the wedge'to its extreme rear position, and by reason of this engagement the last members 3 may be clamped together. Asthe actuating screw 15 is rotated to move the wedge 20 forward, said wedge engages the cam surfaces 27 of the springs 24 and the last members tend to spring apart at this point. rotation of the actuating screw 15 to move the wedge 20 farther forward, the springs 24 will be depressed until said springs abut their respective wedges 28 whereupon a solid connection is established between the wedge and the last members and a force, up to the capability of the structure, may be exerted upon the last members by the wedge to extend the same. This initial resilient connection between the wedge and the last members is especially important when the last is being positioned in the shoe preparatory to stretching the same, as it may be first positioned in the shoe with the last clamped'together, and the spring may be then released and the stretcher pushed to proper position, said resilient connections serving to aid in properly positioning the same without the danger of improperly stretching the shoe by initially extending the wedge members with a solid wedge con- 'nection as the stretcher is being positioned 1n the shoe, as is the case in shoe stretchers Upon further now in vogue which have no resilient con means as hereinbefore disclosed.

, Thetoe 33 serves to stretch the shoe longitudinally, and it will be noted in this re- 'nection between the last and the extending V gard that said toe may be removed to clamped together and serve to hold the toe in the stretcher as the stretcher is being inserted into the shoe. This clamping action also prevents the rotation of the toe, which is usually oval in shape as shown. When the structure is inserted into the shoe the wedge is moved forwardslightly to disengage the shoulders thereof from the'shoul ders of the cavities and to engage the springs 24. At this point the last extends slightly under the influence of the springs and engages the sides of the shoe. The last may be now easily positioned properly within the shoe, and the heel 36 is then moved out wardly to abut the rear of the shoe. The actuating handle 17 is then actuated to move the wedge forwardly and the tip pushes the toe, and the shoeis stretched thereby between the heel 36 and the toe 33. If it is desired to stretch the shoe laterally as well as longitudinally the wedges 28 are properly adjusted and the stretcher manipulated as described above.

I wish to state that the shoe stretcher may be made whollyv of metal, part wood and part metal, or can be made of some suitable compressed material. -The rack bar 37 for driving out the heel, can be made either as described or may be in the nature of a double rack bar, which is actuated by a threaded nut, the said nut being in the shape of a wheel, when the said wheel is countersunk, and half threaded a threaded shaft fit in the rim of the wheel to act as an endless screw, the said threaded shaft to be operated in the manner as set forth'in the specification.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim:--

1. In a shoe stretcher, the combination of a last having a longitudinally extending hole at the front end thereof, a toe adapted for movement in said hole, means for projecting said toe forwardly, and means operable with said first mentioned means and adapted to clamp said toe in said hole when the toeis retracted. V

2. In a shoe stretcher, the combination of abutting last members having corresponding channels in the abutting surfaces there of, means for clamping said last members in retracted position, and a toe adapted to be. clamped in said channels'when said last members are held in retracted position and having operable relation with said means whereby the toe is projected forwardly when said means is moved toallow said last members to extend, and means for actuating said first mentioned means.

3. In a shoe stretcher, the combination of abutting last members hinged together at their rear ends and having corresponding cavities in the abutting surfaces thereof and having transverse forwardly facing shoulders in said cavities, a movable member operable within said cavities and having latterally disposed rearwardly facing shoulders engageable with said transverse shoulders and having a forwardly extending tip, a toe engageable with said tip, and means for actuating said movable member, said cavities having forwardly extending channels adapted to clamp said toe therebetween when said last members are in their retracted positions.

i. In a shoe stretcher, the combination of a rear section, abutting last members hinged to said rear section and having corresponding cavities in the abutting surfaces thereof, a movable member operable within said cavities and having rearwardly facing laterally disposed shoulders thereon, and having a forwardly extending tip, a toe engageable with said tip, and an actuating screw threaded in said rear section and having operable connections with said movable member, said cavities having transverse shoulders engageable with said lateral disposed shoulders of the movable member and having forwardly extending channels adapted to clamp said toe therebetween when said last members are in their retracted positions.

In a shoe stretcher, the combination of abutting last members hinged together and having corresponding cavities in their abutting surfaces, said cavities being formed with cam surfaces and transverse shoulders, a wedge member operable within said cavity and engageable with said cam surface and having laterally disposed shoulders, a toe having operable connection with said wedge, said cavities being formed with forwardly extending channels adapted to clamp said toe when said last members are in retracted position, and means for actuating said wedge member.

6. In a shoe stretcher, the combination with a wedge, of a movable member, a flat spring secured on said movable member and forming a cam surface engageable with said wedge, and a second wedge mounted on said movable member in'back of said spring and adapted to reinforce said spring member.

7. In a shoe stretcher, the combination of abutting last members having corresponding channels in the abutting surfaces thereof, means for holding said last members in retracted positions, a toe adapted to be clamped in said channels when said last members are held in retracted positions, and having operable relation with said means whereby the toe is projected forwardly when said means is moved to cause said last members to extend, a spring means adapted to extend said last members when they are released by said means, and means for actuating said first mentioned means.

8. In a shoe stretcher, the combination of abutting last members hinged together at their rear ends and having corresponding cavities in the abutting surfaces thereof, said cavities being formed with transverse forwardly facing shoulders, a fiat spring secured in each cavity and forming a cam surface, a wedge operable within said cavities and having laterally disposed rearwardly facing shoulders, a second wedge mounted on eachlast member in back of respective springs and adapted to reinforce said springs, a toe in operable relation with said wedge and adapted to be projected forwardly by the movement of the same, said cavity having forwardly extending channels adapted to clamp said toe when said last members are in retracted positions, and means for actuating said wedge.

9. In a shoe stretcher, the combination of a rear section, abutting last members hinged to said rear section and having corresponding cavities in the abutting surfaces thereof, said cavities having forwardly facing transverse shoulders, a flat spring secured in each cavity and forming a cam surface, a wedge operable within said cavities and having laterally disposed rearwardly facing shoulders and having a forwardly extending tip, a second wedge mounted on each last member in back of said respective springs and adapted to reinforce said springs, a toe engageable with said tip and adapted to be projected forwardly by the movement of the same, said cavity having forwardly extending channels adapted to clamp said toe when said last members are in retracted positions, and an actuating screw threaded into said rear section and operably connected with said wed e.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

GUSTAV W. E. HOHME.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Batents,

Washington, D. G. 

